Lent 1 Sunday C - Temptations

Thomas O’Loughlin

Introduction to the Celebration

In every area of our lives there are periods of mending, renewing, and refocusing. We talk about ‘spring cleaning’, ‘annual reviews, and ‘in-service training’. Now we enter a period to renew our discipleship prior to celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. So now can we spend some moments considering how God our creator made us and has provided for us. Let us recall that God our saviour has called us to live in a new way and to build a world of justice and peace. Let us remember how God our inspiration offers us strength for our discipleship.

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Choose: Wealth, Success or Love - Story

Wealth, Success, and Love
A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.
She said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.
"No," she said, "he's out,"

"Then we cannot come in," they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"
The woman went out and invited the men in.
"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she wanted to know.
One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love."
Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed !
"How nice!" he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"
Their daughter was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion.
"Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us heed our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him.
Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?"
The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"
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Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through them.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.

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LIST TO LIVE BY

The most destructive habit......................Worry
The greatest Joy...............................Giving

The greatest loss................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work...............Helping others

The ugliest personality trait.............Selfishness

The most endangered species.........Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource...............Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"..........Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome.................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease............Excuses

The most powerful force in life..................Love

The most dangerous pariah..................A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer........The brain

The worst thing to be without................... Hope

The deadliest weapon.......................The tongue

The two most power-filled words..............."I Can"

The greatest asset..............................Faith

The most worthless emotion..................Self-pity

The most beautiful attire......................SMILE!

The most prized possession................Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication.....Prayer

The most contagious spirit.................Enthusiasm

The most important thing in life..................GOD

Everyone needs this list to live by...pass it along!!!

Ash Wednesday 2013-Homily and Stories

ASH WEDNESDAY

When I was in grade school, I remember Ash Wednesday as a melancholy day. The sisters who taught us were unusually somber and whispery to us that day. It felt like Ash Wednesday, with its marked foreheads and meager meals, signaled the beginning of a long period of giving up candy – and some feeling that we were all lost.

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5 SUNDAY Feb 10 - Homilies, Stories and Liturgy

5 Sunday C Feb 10 Homily + Liturgy

Bottom line: As Scripture has three senses, so our relation to God has three stages: the awareness of unworthiness, the return the moral life and savoring the mystery of God.

John Littleton,

Reflection

The account of Jesus calling the fishermen (Simon Peter, James and John) to follow him is not only about them. It is also the story of you and me and all Christian disciples. The fishermen were decisive about abandoning their previous ways of living (we read that ‘they left everything and followed him’ (Luke 5:11)) and in beginning a new and radically different approach to living. Likewise, we are meant to respond wholeheartedly to Jesus’ repeated invitation to follow him.

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When God says “NO”

YOU HAVE TO

THIS!!!

God Said NO!!
I hope you can get the effects on your computers!
The words are great, but the movements of the faces add a lot….

I asked God to take away my habit.

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A Senior Moment

God’s Wings

This is so beautiful-make sure you read to the bottom.

The paintings on these feathers are outstanding,
But the message below the feathers, “God’s Wings,” will touch your heart…

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The Two Lions-Joke by Goa CM

Joke told by Manohar Parrikar -CM of Goa at Pan IIT Meet in Pune......

Two lions escape from a zoo. One of the lions had been captured from the jungle, so he runs back to the jungle. The other was born in the zoo itself - so is basically a city-slicker. He vanishes into the city.

Three days later the jungle-lion is recaptured - and returned to the zoo. A month passes, then two, three..... but city-lion is not traceable! Finally, after six months the city-lion is also recaptured and brought back to the zoo. Jungle-lion is amazed to see his friend.

Jungle-lion: For God's sake, how were you able to evade these guys for 6 whole months?!

City-lion: Kuchh nahi yaar! I just went to a government department, and hid behind a huge pile of dusty files that they have there.

Jungle-lion: But what did you eat there?

City-lion: Arrey, there was an unlimited supply of government servants. Whenever I ate one, they hired five more. Nobody did any work anyway, so nobody missed the ones I ate.

Jungle-lion: Wow! But, then how did you get caught?

City-lion: Galti kar gaya yaar... On the last day I ate the chai-walla. Now, everyone missed their chai-walla & their chai! They launched a massive hunt. And I got caught!